Deal Signed to Protect Blue and John Crow Mountain
KINGSTON, JUL 31, FCR / Coriandré Lawrence/ Guest writer
Head of the Cooperation, Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Jamaica says the EU hopes the official launch of Conserving the Forests of the Blue and John Crow Mountains Project will be game changing for the island’s forestry sector.
Aniceto Rodriguez Ruiz addressed representatives from several environmental and civil organizations that gathered at Holywell Park on Thursday, July 21, 2022. The launch officially activated the project, and it seeks to support the management of national parks.
Jamaica Received a Conservation Grant
Implemented by the Jamaica Conservation Development Trust (JCDT) the project falls under the EU’s Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management (BIOPAMA) Programme. As a result, Jamaica received a medium level grant with a project budget of 513,378.61 EUR that began on August 3, 2020 and concludes August 2, 2023. Ruiz said there is keen focus on improving sustainable financing for conservation through business development and better community engagement with natural resources.
“The project will engage key stakeholders who benefit from and have an impact on the forests of the Blue and John Crow Mountains. These include local communities, the Government, environmental managers, civil society, and academic researchers,” he said.
“Additionally, the EU is a champion for preservation of biodiversity. So, we’re looking forward to the impact of this project’s push to improve ex-situ and in-situ forest conservation. This will be done through applied research into the propagation of native and threatened tree species and forest restoration.”
The Forest Helps to Stabilise the Climate
The forest within the Blue and John Crow Mountains is both a national park and a world heritage site and it helps stabilise the climate and regulate the ecosystem. The activities of the project are divided into three main areas of work, boundary marking, an enhanced enforcement and compliance programme and activities to raise community awareness, knowledge and improving sustainable livelihood practices. Collectively the benefits will see the application of vehicles, equipment and gear that will significantly enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of management of the national park. It will also ensure greater presence of the national park rangers and improved observation of any breaches of the protected area or other environmental legislation. Along with the more organised training of the national park rangers and the improved ranger station conditions.
These forests were here from days of the Tainos.
Executive Director of the JCDT Dr. Susan Otuokon who gave the opening welcome at the event said the park and the surrounding forest is a very important area and the project will support quite a bit of the JCDT’s work.
“The Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park protects 41 thousand hectares of forested land in Jamaica and not just forested land because when Jamaicans think about forested land, they imagine trees that were planted by people and slightly familiar things like Blue Mahoe or West Indian mahogany. That is not what I mean, I mean the natural forest that was there from before the Tainos first came here right. So that is really old primary forest…,” she said.
Apart from the EU, the JCDT is also supported by local sponsors and partners, including Jamaica’s Forestry Department, the Jamaica National Heritage Trust, Environmental Foundation of Jamaica, Pear Tree Press, National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) and Jamaica Energy Partners. Dr. Otuokon stressed that the agency doesn’t get much of funding from government, about less than 30 per cent and that number fell because of COVID.
Editor’s note: Our guest writer, Mr Coriandré Lawrence is a Jamaican journalist, who has been writing for local and international publications for the past 15 years. He is also the author of a fictional novel entitled Divine Rights.
CONTACT: FCR NEWS TEAM; CORIANDRÉ LAWRENCE